July 31, 2006
ON ANY GIVEN WEEKEND: Mr. Consistency! Coach (im)proves his Path again during gruelling race weekend!
the "Veit Springs" headwall at mile 4 on the climb up to the Ski Basin; this section requires the yogi to bring his or her "A Game" at this section where the road gradient goes steep and undisciplined egos weep
"Know the mind and see its essence,
and you may speak at will
and go wherever your feet take you -
nothing is not the Path."
- Liao-an
***
***
The Devil Made Me Do It;
Devils are go(o)d.
Devils force us to look within and rely upon our Faith.
The Daily Discipline of Training is what develops Faith.
Become a Disciple;
Not of me...
Not of WF...
Of yourself!
(Photo; Peter Traylor, a training partner of mine who finished 58th Overall in the 2003 Ironman Triathlon Championships, is admittedly not a pure hill climber on the bike. So, he came out and along with WF Temple Manager Ananda stood on the steepest section of the SnowBowl Hill Climb at mile 4 and cheered each and every one of the competitors to do their best during this brutal section. photo by Ananda)
***
The Devoted DL Reader will recall that last year, i raced my first race weekend here in Flagstaff since relocating from Los Angeles. One year later, and i once again toed the Start Line of the Two Day Event. Day One is the SnowBowl Hill Climb; a 6.5 mile hammerfest up 2,000 vertical feet ending at dizzying altitude of 9,500'.
Day Two is the notorious "Wupatki Road Race" at the soaringly beautiful Wupatki/Sunset Crater National Monument. This 'Yoga Studio' for studying thyself features a 45 mile course with 4,800' of climbing; all of it in the final 22 miles!
This is the story of my "Yoga Practice" within these beautiful races this weekend.
It is a true Blessing to sweat and apply thy spirit within such natural beauty and among such talented Two-Wheeled Warriors...
may the sweat i spilled out on the roads this weekend
and the Inner Spirit i gained from doing so
be of Benefit to YOUR Practice this week...
thank you for reading DL...turn a friend on to it! we offer DL Gift Certificates!
in sweat and spirit from the "Coach Who Still Does,"
coach ilg
***
"The very body that we have, that's sitting here right now...
with its aches and its pleasures...
is exactly what we need to be fully human,
full awake,
fully alive."
- Pema Chodron
in the moments before a race, Pratyhara (Sense Withdrawl) is crucial. If there is an Appropriate time to listen to inspiring music through headphones, doing so on the 'trainer' before the Start Gun goes off would be it. The Warrior must look deep within during these precious moments. Do not talk to friends...focus on your Warm Up. Limit Distraction, Increase Attraction to your Visualization. Break a go(o)d sweat and be on time for your Start. You will be nervous because you are going to suffer. In the best case of preparation; the WF Warrior Athlete transforms suffering into pure, beautiful effort.
(while on my trainer, i engage Pratyhara; i draw my senses inward, run my Race Visualizations and temper my body, mind, and spirit into a unified Self Guiding Missile. though this weekend was a Priority B level for me, i use "B Level" races to refine tactics, preparations, and skills. i also use them to enhance my yogic fitness to become a better Teacher for my Students. photo by Ananda).
***
If you are going to race up a mountain like this,
(The Sacred Peak, site of the SnowBowl Hill Climb. photo by coach the morning before the race).
you must do the same thing as say, 
a Dart Thrower does before releasing a Dart...
you must first establish an astral relationship with your Target,
then,
visualize everything you wish to occur.
all trophies, all podiums, all summits must first be gained within.
just as the body follows the mind,
just as the dart follows the focus of the thrower,
so too do our actions follow our Intent.
(above two photos; coach practicing his unique self-created game of "Zen Darts" a time-trial version of Darts. note the "stacked darts" in the second photo!
***
in bike racing, i have designed WF Pre-Event Meditations to accurately focus the body/mind beam
toward whatever the goal of the event may be.
Race Day morning disappear faster than mist in the Atacama Desert. Wake up earlier than you think you have to. The Priorities never change: immediate bowel elimination (thus the importance of using SUNRIDER herbal whole foods) directly into Early Morning Ritual including your assigned Toilet Yoga® pranayama and meditation routines is a must for the competitive WF Warrior on race day.
***
"We learn something by doing it.
There is no other way."
- John Holt
on the "Veit Springs Headwall," mile 4. using the WF Sacred Mantra while alternating standing and seating climbing techniques in order to keep my average speed around 9 mph through this crux section...the lower mind (manas) will tend toward distraction, the eyes will want to wander, and the ego (ahamkara) will want to do anything to stop the abuse on the body.
the yogi dives deeper INTO him or herself during such intensity.
that is why every yogin must toe a Start Line; to test - against their peers - their development of their inner mental fields; there is no better way to know Thyself than through racing.
***
RACE SUMMARY:
The peleton began the climb a bit lethargic, no one wanting to set the initial pace. Approaching the one mile mark, i assumed the role of Pace Leader since my physiology is better equipped to handle high, steady tempo rather than short ongoing accelerations. i ramped up the pace yet stayed within myself.
Mile 2.3: my effort has caused a group of 8 of us to form a lead group, including a hill climbing specialist from California and two pro mountain bikers.
Mile 3.5: approaching the Veit Springs headwall, i and two others have fallen off the pace of the leading group of 5. i want to shed my two companions before the headwall and solidify my break from them on the steepest part of the course.
Miles 4-5: a significant crowd - including the Devil (see photo above) and Ananda - has gathered on the headwall to cheer us onward and upward. reaching deep and tapping out a sit-and-stand rhythm to my Mala Beads i am not feeling "special" today however, i still maintain a solid pace up the headwall and drop my two companions.
Mile 6 to the finish: pedaling furiously to stay ahead of my chasers, i shift into my Big Chainring on the 7% gradient and pass through the 9,000' level allowing the WF Sacred Mantra to permeate my suffering with clean effort...i feel Divinity snaking through through my breathing body and begin - a bit late - to feel like i am dancing on the pedals. i begin catching and passing other category racers, yet the leading group of 5 are too far to catch. i cross the line slower than in my training efforts at just over 35 minutes and anchor a 6th place finish. Number of racers in front of me older than me: zero. Number of other Yoga Teachers in front of me: zero. Number of other Coaches Who Still Do in front of me: zero. i am pleased as Gatorade Punch that on this day, even my "not so great efforts" can get me nearly into the top five. As they say in the Entertainment and LA Yoga Teaching Business; 'You're only as good as you are on your bad days."
COMING TOMORROW IN DL: PART TWO...the BIG HURT: The Wupatki Road Race!
July 28, 2006
TEMPLE GONG RINGS: DHARMA MOVIE...WF WARRIORS UP!
those of you who follow Teacher Haku's blog may have seen the Promo Trailer for the movie;
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Ananda and i just used our Meditation Time today to go see it.
Coach's Orders;
1) Go See This Movie
2) Come home and re-read the Wholistic Fitness Sutra section in TBT
and then,
follow up with Action.
WF Warriors have been leading the charge into Conscious Fitness of Body/Mind/Spirit since 1982...
we might now be able to help a Powerful Revolution to do something go(o)d for Mother Earth...
remember,
Wholistic Fitness was created from my love of Ma Earth...that is why we are so grounded a Path compared to other personal fitness services.
let's Charge!
WARRIORS UP!!!
July 27, 2006
Existence, Truth, Laziness, and 100,000 worlds
"Let us be moral.
Let us contemplate existence."
- Charles Dickens
"Nothing is little to him who feels it with great sensitivity."
- Samuel Johnson
"A hundred thousand worlds are flowers in the sky.
A single mind and body is moonlight in the water.
Once thinking ends and information stops,
At that moment there is no place for thought."
- Han-shan
"You do not wash the Dish with your non-dominant hand for the same reason you do not brush your
teeth with your non-dominant hand; you are lazy. you think to yourself, "Oh why waste time doing such non-sense as using my non-dominant hand..i am far too busy and important of a person to do such silly things."
So, you sit down to put on your shoes and lose hip flexibility throughout the years
because you are lazy.
You do not cardio commute so you grow fat and tepid in spiritual tenacity
because you are lazy.
You do not eat the Secret Herbs and become physiologically lethargic at the cell level without realizing it
because you are lazy.
You do not do your Meditation and Breathing Practices and thus lose the Spiritual Spark Plug for Awakening
because you are lazy.
You do not FEEL the Wisdom of Wholistic Fitness in your life
for a very simple reason;
you are lazy.
Lazy until Enlightenment does not work.
Never has.
Never will."
- coach ilg
***
Photo #1; Grand Canyon up the street from the WF Temple H(om)e during a Monsoon moment. photo by Marcia Fowler
Photo #1B; The Sacred Peak from the backyard of the WF Temple H(om)e yesterday. photo by coach.
Photo #2; "Red Fox Deck" at Two Tree Manor last week. Monsoon season in Flagstaff is Nirvana; wet, thunderous, wild. photo by coach
Photo #3; wildflowers, Arizona high country, and the Sacred Peak near Bismark Lake. Photo by Coach.
Photo #4; coach practicing Uddiyana Bandha during a Pranayama session. Photo by Ananda
special thanks to HP Yogini Leslie for the quotes.
Purification of Dream States; Let the Wholistic Pursuit of Yoga Do The Work!
in padmamayurasana several years ago.
at the time, my weekly hourly cardio volumes were 20+.
if taken as two separate Practices: 20+ hours/week of cardio as one Practice
and then,
sustaining padmamayurasana as another Practice
you have intermediate/advanced skill levels in each.
however, attempt to combine the two Practices?
suddenly you find yourself in a very, very small percentage of humanity.
even few yogis tread such an encompassing embrace of what "Yoga" really means.
one must be VERY careful not to Limit the notion of Yoga to merely one physiologic compartment like "flexibility".
true Yoga must be explored within each physiologic capacity in order to honor the notion of Yoga.
it is, after all, the Science of Union...not the Science of Specialization!
Wholistic Fitness...America's Native Yoga; MultiDisciplined In The Way of All Warriors
come,
climb the Path!
***
Dear Coach,
There is wisdom in your responses...I will sit with it and gently ease back into Calli Night and let you know what comes up. I TAF that it is important to not attach to the dream-state, but to just observe the images that come up. Is it possible to meditate in your sleep (i.e., not attach to thoughts that come up)?
Namaste. I am humbled by your responses.
WF Online Student M
Student M,
Purify thy normal consciousness State,
and the Teachings of the next Level and further (Higher) Guidance will become quite Clear
quite quickly in your Dream State Consciousness. Remember my Teachings about the OM Symbol!
that is all,
coach ilg
***
Photo 1; by Marc Romanelli, near White Rock, New Mexico
Photo 2; me and some ol' bros of mine when i lived in Pagosa Springs, Colorado
July 26, 2006
Buddha Baby Graces Our Tribe
Christian Davis Roche, at 5 weeks old, with his Sacred Wholistic Fitness® Blessed Mala Beads. The Mala is a Gift from his Daddy's Coach, Steve Ilg. photo by WF Online Student Shawna Shwaub of Clan Ko.
WF Teacher Ko writes, "Coach actually wore these beads everyday for 7 months, and performed his "empowerment rituals"
before Gifting them to Christian. The Chi was dripping from them when i opened the package."
You will not want to miss this entry on Teacher Ko's blog:
http://www.twistedsageblog.blogspot.com/
May all parents perform years of Inner Work on themselves before having babies...Conscious Parents = Conscious Parenting.
om so ti,
coach ilg
July 25, 2006
Vayu Amplification; a WF Online Training Effect. Moving from Seeming Fiction to Function
Ananda cranking some High Altitude Pran during a Pranayama workout at Schultz Lake last year. Riding your mountain bike to a place of solitude to Practice your assigned Pranayama is a duathlon that seems to be engaged only by a few yogis. Most of them can be found in our Tribe! The creative interplay of Practices to Transform your life have NEVER been more refined and accessible than right now in WF Online Training.
***
Recently, a former Online Student rationalized his exit from the Steep and Direct Path of WF Online Training by trying to make it about me. He said that my "philosophies" have recently taken a turn that no longer interests him.
oh reallly, now? oh...the Perpetuation of Rationalization! (see DL of 6/18 and 6/27/2006).
the ONLY "philosophy" that i have Taught since 1982 is that of Sweat and Stillness. no other. if you do have an 'issue' with the notion of regular Sweat and Stillness, then, yes, perhaps you are not ready for WF.
the fact is, for students entering the colorful Path of WF Online Training, they are now privy to a FAR more evolved set of progressive Practices - protected from the Mainstream so far - that fire the Inner Self and create quickly an impenetrable foundation toward Awakening and possible Enlightenment like no other modern Path of Self Cultivation currently available.
below i answer a question that triggered Most Noble Yogini and WF Temple Manager Ananada's spiritual interests. She was Wise Enough to ask me about. The Students that get the most Value of their Online Studies are the ones who ask the Wise Questions and JUMP on every available morsel that drops like gems from this Path.
***
Maha Rishi,
i would like to understand more about the below Vayu Amplification
if Appropriate.
Beginners Mind,
ananda
COACH RESPONDS:
Most Cherished MaitreyaMahaAnandaMayiMa,
"Vayu Amplification" is another tenet of HP Yoga that i am developing. catchy term, eh? you like it?
you know what Vayu is; Energy Current or Current of Air (breath/prana).
you should also already know what Amplification means = to make greater.
thus, as you yourself as a Vayu-Sadhaka or Disciple of the Air (breath/prana),
your 'job' during the creative interplay of WF Disciplines such as EMR, Pranayama, Asana, ST, and Cardio
is, quite simply,
to Make Greater The Current of Air (breath/prana).
since you already know from your Svadhaya,
that within the yogins' body reside 5 Vayus;
Prana,
Apana,
Samana,
Udana,
and
Vyana
you will also find that through your steadfast Practice in WF, each of those Vayus is
being intelligently and progressively developed.
which is precisely why it is so important to remain steadfast in your WF Practices...
for a most Glorious Realization begins to Ascend into your Awareness with Abhyasa;
the actual FEEL of the various textural differences between the Vayus!
it is at such a point in the yogin's 'career' whereupon
Scripture becomes Truth...
Direct Experience of the Vayu Interplay is confirmation that...
"This shit is FOR REAL!"
then,
you are off the to (Human) Races...and the Podium of the Human Race (enlightenment)
draws
just that much more out of Fiction
and into
your own
beautiful
Function.
from Fiction to Function, baby...
that's what WF Online Training provides...
like no other...
have Faith and keep your Practice turned and tuned ever inward!
love,
coach
The Noble Sweat, The Noble Stillness...
" The Yogi understands the faults of others by seeing and studying them first in himself. This self-study teaches him to be charitable to all."
***
Namaste Noble Warriors,
as we begin to Awaken to deeper dimensions of our Yoga Practice, we start to See things differently.
Feel things differently.
Make choices based on a degree of inner spaciousness instead of compulsion, conditioning, or reaction.
as we create space and strength within the fabric of our bodies,
we also create space and strength within our understanding of why some people choose to sweat and practice
stillness,
while others do everything they can, or so it seems, not to.
below, one of my certified WF Teachers uses a wonderful inSight from Swami Iyengar to
help one of his students understand an addiction challenge that is causing difficulty in a relationship.
Joy and i look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at the "Practice Cave,"
to take another Step onward,
upward,
and endlessly
inward.
that is all...
namaste,
coach ilg
founder;
http://www.wholisticfitness.com/
***
"Upeksa: It is not merely a feeling of disdain or contempt for the person who has fallen into vice (apunya) or one of indifference or superiority towards him. It is a searching self-examination to find out how one would have behaved when faced with the same temptations. It is also an examination to see how far one is responsible for the state into which the unfortunate one has fallen and the attempt thereafter to put him on the right path. The Yogi understands the faults of others by seeing and studying them first in himself. This self-study teaches him to be charitable to all."
from "Light on Yoga", page 27.
photo of coach ilg in garudasana
July 24, 2006
Planets Put our importance into perspective...
sent in by WF Devotee, Lt. Col Craig Diamantopoulos:
click on photos to enlarge:
***Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky.***
COACH RESPONDS:
Most Noble Warrior Richard...
head bowed.
beautiful.
thank you for contributing.
really go(o)d stuff...
just what science was intended toward; to inspire AWE,
not dillute it!
love,
coach ilg
The Pedaling Mennonite! FLOYD RULES! The Inspiration of The Tour!
Okay, that does it.
i am going to have to name my First Born child:
"Landis."
Landis Ilg.
i do not really care if it is a girl or boy.
Landis...in honor of Floyd's friggin' CHI, baby!!!!!!
***
I have a bicycle racing friend and former teammate who, upon hearing the drug-related kickout of Road Cycling's two top stars since Lance's retirement; Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Spain, simply refused to watch the Tour de France this year.
what a shame.
It was the best Tour i have seen since Lance took on Ullrich and eventually only beat him by slightly over one minute.
i will be drawing CHI from this year's Tour like crazy over the next several years.
my friend will not be able to.
such is the Way of "beliefs" and "judgments."
Yogis accept Everyone and Everything as Teachers and Teachings.
Take what is useful for your Ascent, and throw the clutter away.
* The podium (L to R): Spain's Oscar Pereiro (2nd), San Diego Stud and former mountain biker Floyd Landis (1st) and Andreas Kloden (3rd) of Germany/ Photo:Sirotti
The fact that this year, for the 8th straight year in a row,
an American stands upon the topstep of the Tour de France podium, is to me...
well,
a Miracle.
Floyd expressed a decidedly nonchalant attitude toward keeping the Yellow Jersey after the second week of the race. Perhaps this pacifism was instilled in his cells from his Mennonite upbringing, yet, it seemed to karmically rise up and snakebite him REAL bad when, in the penultimate mountain stage, he CRACKED BIG TIME on the final climb of the day and essentially lost the race.
How often it is that we do not REALLY realize how much we want something,
until AFTER
you don't have it?
water.
love.
health.
breath.
The Yellow Jersey.
well, the CHI FLOWED and
Floyd,
like the great champions who, for 93 years in this amazing race, have RISEN ABOVE THEIR DOUBT and BROKEN BODIES,
rose Higher the next day and HAMMERED SOLO for an unimaginable amount of miles and mountains
to regain his lost time and set the stage for the Time Trial Nail In The Coffin Of His Competitors.
As my Durangatang bro, Bob(ke) Roll said on OLN, it is something about American Cyclists...we have to descend into Hades
before we rise HIGHER than anyone else to claim Victory!
or, as i have Taught you in WF Training Philosophy;
"The way to win is to make it okay to lose."
Floyd Landis made it, perhaps even subconsciously or karmically, "okay to lose." NO ONE thought he could back from several minutes down and in 11th place to win the Yellow Jersey in two day's work. The Pressure was off of the "Pedaling Mennonite" once he cracked...so...with nothing left to lose, he rose up like the Phoenix from the acidic state of his fatigued, exhausted, dehydrated body...and
CRANKED LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!!!
it was arguably the most intense single effort comeback in modern Tour history...it certainly was to my recollection and i have been following the Tour and training cyclists for it since the days it was not even televised and i had to listen to it on the radio!
and, having rode in the same peleton as Floyd, my heart was happy to see this Blue Collar Kid make the comeback of comebacks! such great inspiration and self-reliance Teachings!
i really like his Coach, Robbie Ventura, who was precisely what a Coach should be;
a constant pillar of positive support and energy....no matter how bleak the picture.
Next Sunday, there will be a recap of the Tour on OLN.
tape it.
keep the tape.
study it as a Practice of Svadhaya...
it will help your own Abhyasa.
i promise.
*Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) is the man! Photo:Jonathan Devich
i must say, it was getting pretty easy toward the end to pick who would be close to podium. i called American George Hincapie to pull out a last ditch breakaway on the final day in Paris and, if that did not succeed, then my Norwegian stud; Thor Hushovd would take McEwen at the line...which, is precisely what happened! YEAH NORWAY!!!!! BIG THOR HAMMERS HOME!!!!!
You gotta love Robbie McEwen, the feisty sprinter from Down Under...he decimated the legs off of all the other sprinters most consistently throughout the 3-week race and honorably wears the Green Sprinter's Jersey for the third time. I wonder what his son, Ewen, tells his classmates in school when it is "What does your Father Do Day" at school!
The Tour...
TV worth watching...
sweat worth watching...
passion, sacrifice, and unflappable grit and determination...
this Tour was yoga...
Samkalpa; Powerful Determination...
just
ask Yogi Floyd...
how do YOU
TAF Floyd will handle the Bardo Entry?
sheepishly...unconsciously?
or
with that Hallmark Warrior Quality of
Fierce Determination?
this is why the Vehicle of Sweat is so important to us;
it trains us to know our Limits,
and then,
TRANSCEND THEM THROUGH SWEAT and SAMKALPA!
feeble ilg sez;
do not trust anybody who doesn't see a bicycle for what it truly is:
a Yoga Mat!
coming next in DL:
A WF Student races to a PR using WF Spiritual Principles!
do not miss the CHI!
only
on DL!
July 21, 2006
STUDENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Student Quote of the Week goes to the ever Awakening
Student SassoSan:
"Dear Coach,
I am now noticing that when I engage mula bandha, there is also a pulling in of the navel area. It is as if bringing attention to mula bandha sends a signal that brings about alignment in other centers. The alignment that I mention is as a result of the continued practice of mula bandha and the instinctual kechari, navel pulling in and spine lengthening. Another side effect seems to be a loosening of my shoulders (a chronic region of body tightness for me). There is just more mobility there these days and it is not like I have been hitting the yoga mat regularly or anything else. Just steady practice of your prescribed Early Morning Ritual and Mula Bandha Meditation. That is my current TAF. I continue to observe."
"There is no armor like perseverance."
'There is no armor like perseverance.' Joy and her bike; 'Ajna' cycling out to join the Saturday Morning "Training Ride" here in Flag. Bicycles are as vital as blood to WF Warriors, for we realize that bicycles are not bicycles...they are very, very potent Yoga Mats, capable of delivering Divine Downloads of the Dharma totally unavailable to 'studio yogis.' Our Tour de France takes place within.
***
Temple Manager Ananda deserves a deeeeeep bow...yesterday, i took her out to the Wupatki National Monument to ride what would be her longest and most brutal road ride; a 45-mile monster that descended and then climbed back up 2,600'. i paced her for 24 miles, then, i had to do what is hardest for most Coaches to do: leave her on her own to confront and dance her own Bardo...her own "real yoga." the heat was stiffling on the high desert before the climb...as i rode the course at my own pace, my spirit was turbulent; knowing and feeling that Ananda would be going through utter Purgatory.
i completed the 45-mile course. i time trialed back to the Visitor Center, filled up water bottles, and plummeted down the course into the hell fire of the desert seeking for the image of Ananda pedaling up the climb. she did not appear...half way down the climb, a pickup passed me coming up the climb. a hand, enfeebled by dehydration, heat stress, and exhaustion limply waved at me from the back of the pickup. it was my Beloved. my Heart broke. the pickup slowed and i turned around on the 15% hill and saw her face, flushed and expanded white from the duress....
"I...i...cracked..." was all she could say to me through tears of a Warrioress beaten by the Battlefield.
i handed up two cold water bottles to her,
"Drink, baby...pour the other one over your head, wrists, and ankles...take off yours shoes!" i shouted to her...the vacancy in her eyes sent shivering memories of too many exhausted mountaineering partners up my spine. what had i done to my Beloved?
i rode up to the driver of pickup. an old grizzled man with his little grandson stared at me wide-eyed. in their eyes were the Light of Angels...they were not even on the paved road...they were going the opposite direction off road and saw Ananda barely going 3 mph, still on her bike...wavering in the heat. Ananda never asked them to help her. she had resolved to walk the remaining 6 miles to the finish if she had to...or die trying if she could not.
i told the old man to get her to the Visitor Center as soon as possible...as i put my head back down and race on my bike back up the climb for the second time that day...As the Pickup Angels took off with Ananda sitting upon an old propane bottle in the pickup bed, still holding Ajna, i fell in Love with her all over again...it is the strength of her Practice that fires my Heart for her...i have never met anyone like her before. The ancient pickup disappeared up in a combustion of exhaust around the mountain corner. as i raced along, concerned, Sunset Crater to my left seemed to leap in Divine Dance. All would be well, the Volcano Gods seemed to say to me...in fact, all was perfect and right and the Teachings and strength from Ananda's journey into the Bardo and back would come back in 1000 x 1000 ways to keep her Spiritual Growth cranking ever Higher.
when i reached the Visitor Center, the Pickup Angels were still with her. Ananda was in in Viparita Karani in the back of Bala (our Honda Element)...crying. i learned through her tears that she DID do her utter best, and during those hundreds of pedal strokes when she thought she could go no further, she relied on the WF Mantra and repeating the phrase that i wrote in DL; "Pain is purification, Pain is purification, Pain is purification..."
You see, Noble Ones Along The Way, until we Consciously Choose to enter our own Bardo Edges, we cannot live that which is pure. The Yoga Sutra that Ananda had studied the evening before her Wupatki workout was Sutra 1 of the Second Pada (Portion on Practice):
"Austerity, Self-Study, and deep devotion to God constitute the Action of Yoga."
Sure, Floyd Landis absolutely CRANKED at yesterday's Tour de France...his CHI PUNCH at the finish line showed me that he was finally ready to REALLY ATTAIN that Yellow Jersey and Wear It Like A Leader...yet, he had to lose it first, to realize how much
how truly
how deeply
he really desired it.
Floyd however, is a professional bike racer. he gets paid to suffer.
Ananda does not.
Neither do you.
You and Ananda are Yogis; seekers of Unity.
you know that Pain must precede Purification and that Purification must come before Strength. Only from Purified Strength
does Genuine Wisdom, Clarity, and Transcendence arise. Let us listen now to Rinpoche Sogyal to synthesize what i have attempted to Teach you today:
"Imagine that you had gone all your life without ever washing, and then one day you decide to take a shower. You start scrubbing away, but then watch in horror as the dirt begins to ooze out of the pores of your skin and stream down your body. Something must be wrong: You were supposed to be getting cleaner and all you can see is grime. You panic and fling yourself out of the shower, convinced that you should never have begun. But you only end up even more dirty than before. You have no way of knowing that the wisest thing to do is to be patient and to finish the shower. It may look for a while as if you are getting even dirtier, but if you keep on washing, you will emerge fresh and clean. It’s all a process, the process of purification.
Whenever doubt arises, see it simply as an obstacle, recognize it as an understanding that is calling out to be clarified or unblocked, and know that it is not a fundamental problem but simply a stage in the process of purification and learning. Allow the process to continue and complete itself, and never lose your trust or resolve. This is the way followed by all the great practitioners of the past, who used to say: “There is no armor like perseverance.”
***
On July 30th, i will race the Wuptaki Course.
Ananda will not.
She has found her Limits; 6 miles short of the Finish Line.
And to know our Limits is precisely the ever Dancing point of Transcendence.
Never trust anyone that forwards the notion of, "No limits."
i will tell you this;
it is go(o)d to know your Limits.
Because it is those Limits of Self that provide the Edge of Yoga.
Live life at the Edge...
Live Wholistic Fitness.
The real Tour de France is always within you...waiting for you to Challenge your Limits...
are you just gonna WATCH the Tour of France,
or USE those amazing Warrior's Chi...to
rise
ever
Higher...
ever
Onward...
ever
Inward?
Ananda is.
i am.
let's Dance the Edge, oh Noble Yogi's!
namaste and congrats to Ananda's spiritual breakthrough and
thank you Brahman for sending the Pickup Angels for my Beloved...
that is all,
coach ilg
Sangha Support For Yogini C
Greetings Coach,
I just read the post on DL from YoginiC and felt the emotion in the words. Having worked in the field of outdoor education with youth for many years as an Outward Bound instructor, I can appreciate what YoginiC is going through... And it is a through, not a stay. Life is always changing for you, for me, for Y and for C... it never ends. Change just is. Turning to the wilderness as a guide is just one step on that journey. The wilderness speaks and speaks with depth. It takes time for anyone to tune in to the message. I hope Y is going out into Moab for many days and finds the courage within herself to breathe... feel.. and listen to what the wide world has to say to her.
Y will come home with a lot of questions and with many open doors inside her. A most essential part of her return will involve YoginiC’s acceptance, open heart, mind and ears. Be prepared to listen and talk with an open heart when you see Y upon her return. The wilderness is a primer for a stage that involves both Y and C. This stage will last for the rest of their lives. And as C probably knows on some level, both of them have to travel together at times and apart at others. On those occasions when one gets to travel with someone so important, be mindful of the experience, be mindful of your agenda, be mindful of the agenda of others.
The most powerful key to wilderness for youth programs is what happens after they come home. Moab will forever be a part of Y as will the skills and lessons she faces out there. YoginiC, search for new commonalities with Y when she returns. And remember the wilderness is everywhere – just up the coast, off shore, in the hills and trails near home, and even down the street at the park. Bring the love to your bardo and share who you are like it was the most important race of your life.
Peace,
warrior chreist
July 20, 2006
WF Teacher Haku's son, Kerry, takes 2nd at World Championships
what does that make for this week? 3 World Championship contenders in 3 physiologically diverse sports across 3 WF Warriors?
sounds pretty incredible?
nope,
just another week along the most humble, most powerful Transpersonal Fitness Path in the world;
Wholistic Fitness, baby!
check out Kerry's pics at :
http://hakutrain.blogspot.com/
congratulations, KerrySan....you are a beautiful, living example of a Young WF Warrior! May all young men radiate a fraction of your integrity and Light!
"The Path works,
when YOU work the Path."
-coach ilg
founder/Wholistic Fitness®
July 19, 2006
Father Warrior Ludgate Beaming and Learning
We ordered up these sunsets just about every night - this is the view from our front porch
Coach-
Just back from the "unplug from the grid" trip to Maine - full media fast and full family feast.
Out for a hike with my boys - and Lucas sees this: Next thing I know he's here - then here In the category of "from the mouths of babes" I asked him how he got up the rock so fast, and he said "I just looked for cracks in the rock, stuck my fingers and toes in those and pulled myself up". 
Two things in my vacation reading really stuck me. On finding the right balance between stillness and awareness, a Zen book used the analogy of the frog, which sits, still and unmovable, looking for all the world like it is completely unaware of the world around it...but always ready for the fly!
For extra Arjuna inspiration, I am re-reading the Gita. and in the introduction is a quote from Gandhi that really hit home: "By detachment I mean that you must not worry whether the desired result follows from your action or not, so long as your motive is pure, your means correct. Really, it means that things will come right in the end if you take care of the means and leave the rest to Him...But renunciation of fruit in no way means indifference to the result. In regard to every action one must know the result that is expected to follow, the means thereto, and the capacity for it. He who, being thus equipped, is without desire for the result and is yet wholly engrossed in the due fulfillment of the task before him, is said to have renounced the fruits of his action."
This helped resolve a false paradox I had struggled to reconcile - your non-attachment to results and your highly competitive nature. I see now that those need not be in conflict.
More to come in the next few days, as I wrap up the WF Arjuna Training Cycle this weekend.
Love-
Student L
Planets “Puts our importance into perspective... “
sent in by WF Devotee, Lt. Col Craig Diamantopoulos:
click on photos to enlarge:
***Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky.***
COACH RESPONDS:
Most Noble Warrior Richard...
head bowed.
beautiful.
thank you for contributing.
really go(o)d stuff...
just what science was intended toward; to inspire AWE,
not dillute it!
love,
coach ilg
July 18, 2006
IN-CourageMent for my Troubled Teen
Dearest Coach,
i looked on DIRECT LINES today looking for some words of encouragement.
COACH:
i trust you found a veritable treasure chest of in-Couragement!
YOGINI C
you see, on thursday i'm taking my sixteen year daughter, "Y", to Moab, Utah to a wilderness program for troubled teens.
COACH:
What's NOT to love about Moab!?!??!!:
If Moab don't knock some Spiritual Common Sense into that child, nothing will!
okay,
i do not mean to make light of your Challenge; however, as a Conscious Parent, you knew sixteen years ago, that you were not just having a "baby." You accepted not only response-abilities for a baby, yet also an infant, a toddler, a tyke, an adolescent, and an adult.
buckle up!
what teen is NOT troubled?
particularly these days!?
the teen years are known for their Samskaric Spin Off....deeply grooved tendencies from past lifetimes playing out in the most uh, hormonal of Ways...it's all just part of the UnEnlightened Life...just another round on the Wheel of Samsara...that is why we must strive soooo hard to become Enlightened; to get off the Wheel, baby!
YOGINI C:
i know that living in the wilderness is the right choice and will be a growing experience for her emotionally and spiritually, but as a parent this is very difficult for me.
COACH:
yet, as a Yogini, it offers a Perfect Opportunity to practice your Walking of the Talk of the "Aparigraha" Yama. Don't make this so much about "Y"...This is about You as well! Anything that is difficult should be run toward,
not away from, if you wish to Grow Spiritually.
YOGINI C:
if i remember correctly i believe that you also lived for some time in a cave and experienced growth.
COACH:
this is True, yet i had fantastic Spiritual Teachers to appropriately Guide my solo pilgrimages within.
also, i grew up with a wolf and surrounded by the San Juan National Forest...
i don't know about taking a teenage City Girl directly into the wilderness and expecting deep changes.
"Blessed is she who expects nothing for she will never be disappointed."
YOGINI C:
any words of encourgement would be greatly appreciated. i have always been a devoted student and miss your presence in LA.
COACH:
this InCourageMent i can certainly give;
ANY amount of quality time that a Mother spends with her Daughter in new, unfamiliar terrain (be it geologic, physiologic, or spiritual) is absolutely Moments of Purity and are priceless in terms of karmic merit and biologic Grace. my quick counsel to you is to use this Time to Practice! use the WF Lifestyle Principles i have Taught you...reRead the Yogic Yamas and NiYamas as i commented on them in TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION. Use this Trip as in INNER JOURNEY for yourself and guess what?
the astounding, beautiful force of the Southwest Vortex will certainly do what is needed most for both you AND "Y"'s Next Step along each of your own's Spiritual Journey.
as you leave"Y" within those Heart Chakra Changing red rocks,
take the time to Appreciate like never before the precious nature of being human
and then,
being Blessed enough to have another Beautiful Human Being come through you...
however,
not From You.
NonAttachment.
Your children may come through you,
however,
they are not From You.
They are God's Children.
We all are.
YOGINI C:
it did make me smile to see that you and Joy are/were in the area where "Y" will be living for the next 3 to 6 weeks.
COACH:
yes, Moab is an old haunt of mine...
"Our life IS this wisdom!
Our Practice IS this realization."
- Taizan Maesumi Roshi
will you be able to make it to our Red Mountain Spa new workshop:
LEAD FROM THE HEART this August 13 & 14 ?
i will be presenting 5 hours of new material precisely aimed at overcoming the Heart Granthi...(psychospiritual knot)
sounds like it would be ideal for you right now...
i love you and "Y" and you have my Dharma Blessings...
om so ti,
coach ilg
July 17, 2006
Today's DL is RIGHT ON!
WF Teacher Joy "Ananda" Kilpatrick watches on as fellow WF Teacher Joseph "Haku" Sheader practices some Ai Imawa in Arches National Park for our upcoming DVD; Ai Imawa, The Postures and Practice of Inner Harmony. The emails are streaming in from our Noble Warriors based on today's DL trumpeting the call to help protect what remains of our amazing National Park System!
***
Steve,
Thank you for this mornings DL. As a previous NPS ranger (and I have trained special forces personal including one time student Commander Ken Kops who strongly felt Afghanistan was appropriate yet Iraq was very wrong...last I heard from him was when he was moved from Afghanistan to Iraq) I bow to the call to protect our parks and the mother earth for which they stand. Strange how we will prosecute those who burn the flag but not those who desecrate the land for which it stands.
lots of love,
haku
Wholy Healthy Foot Batman!
Hello EC
Wholy Coconino........Thank you so much for this teaching........Foot-loose and Fancy Free ----In---joying Foot Fitness and looking Forward to me and my 3 Pivot Points embracing and remembering my relationship with Mother Earth !
Yours in WF-FF
sole-shel
3-Pointed Feet Input
Dearest No-Bull Coach,
Thank you so much for yesterday's DL on the elusive 3-pointed foot. I remember cracking my eyes open with a "Whachu talkin' bout mistah D?" look at my early yoga teachers when asked to find the "4 corners of [my] feet." Next I would look at their feet, expecting maybe shoebox shaped appendages. It's go(o)d to know that I am not the only one with 3-pointed feet!
love,
humm-bull herb-All war-eeyore chris
photo: WF & HP & SUNRIDER Devotee Chris enjoying a Tribal Splash in the backcountry of British Columbia. note the SUNRIDER Shaker bottle...a Warrior must know his/her priorities!
Unexamined Mind Rushes After Deception
The root of all phenomena is your mind.
If unexamined, it rushes after experiences, ingenious in the games of deception.
If you look right into it, it is free of any ground or origin,
In essence free of any coming, staying or going.
JAMYANG KHYENTSE CHÖKYI LODRÖ
WARRIOR UP! Axing our national parks
coach ilg, about 17 years old, with a Big Wall Sack (named; "Blucky" cuz he was black and brought good Luck), a bagette, and salami moments before heading up for an attempt on "El Capitan" in Yosemite Valley.
Without the influence of our National Parks, i seriously doubt if Wholistic Fitness would have been created. My years spent as a young mountain yogi growing up among the San Juan National Forests and wandering Turtle Island climbing and backcountry'ing in Yosemite, the Tetons, Rocky Mountain National Parks just to name a few certainly cemented the priceless value of our access to what remains of Ma Nature. I ask that you read the below story by Jim Hightower and make the call...
WF WARRIORS UP!!!
Let's not make images like this one an antique memory...the day before a High Peformance Yoga® Workshop in the Sierra Nevada a few years ago. I had just snowshoed up the obvious colouir behind my right shoulder and above Mr. Ducky.
namaste and may our children's children experience just a fraction of the depth and dimension of sacred beauty in which i've felt in my cells...
coach ilg
"America's Outdoor Athlete"
***
Axing our national parks
Spinning cuts to the public
By Jim Hightower
Published on 07/06/2006
America’s network of national parks is a natural resource so beloved by the public that even George W has posed in parks for photo-ops in his two presidential campaigns, promising to bolster funding for these treasures.
Once the campaigning is done, however, our park-lover-in-chief goes after them with a double-bladed budget ax. This hypocrisy is so blatant that, in the 2004 election year, Bush’s spin miesters instructed park guides not to use the phrase “budget cutbacks,” instead substituting the euphemism, “service level adjustments.”
Now, Bush is back with his ax, quietly directing each park superintendent to prepare a five-year budget that will slash appropriations by up to a third. This at a time when the backlog of park repairs now tops $6.8 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion in George’s five years.
And, once again, Bush political operatives have distributed “talking points,” telling park employees how to spin the cuts to park visitors, who will, of course, notice the reduced hours, discontinued services, deteriorating facilities, and increased fees. When visitors ask why they’re paying more for less, the memo tells employees to respond with this sentence: “The National Park Service, like most agencies, is tightening its belt as our nation rebuilds from Katrina, continues the war on terrorism and strives to reduce the deficit.”
Holy Ansel Adams! The administration that totally botched up the response to Katrina, that has us mired in a bloody $300 billion war of lies, and that has been the worst deficit bloater in U.S. history—now wants to use these debacles as its excuse for gutting our public parks!
This is Jim Hightower saying … To fight both the cutbacks and the rank dishonesty of the Bushites, call the watchdog group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: (202) 265-7337.
July 16, 2006
HP Yoga Principle: The 3-Point Foot...Exploring your FOOT FITNESS!
{coach ilg during one of his many unique "Rock Vinyasa" moves; Engaged Balasana (note the inclusion of YogaToes®)...this age-old Early Morning Routine is about ready to be released to Active Online WF Students...}
*
The 'breaking down' of our hard, brittle feet is Priority Numero Uno for any Warrior of the Higher Way. Huge energy Vents lie within the subtle anatomy of our feet. That is precisely why i have designed and used so many unique methods to exploring and cultivating "soft feet".
{coach ilg in another one of his "Rock Vinyasa" movements, "HyperGastrocasana"...a SURE CURE for opening the feet and releasing tight hamstrings.}
*
Rare are the feet that have been more abused than mine. 100+ miles per week while running, championship cycling, world class rock climbing, ski jumping, winter mountaineering...my feet have been hammered world class hard for nearly 3 decades...i can help you soften your feet and the softer foot is the more powerful foot and the more powerful the feet? the more powerful the organs (both gross and subtle).
*
in this DL Subscriber Exclusive chart below, i have made clear the 3-Pivot(al) Points and the science behind them. A ton of DharmaSweat has gone into this HP Principle, so i trust the Transmission of this Chart will be pure and strong. All you need to do? Invoke an image of this chart while running, doing asana, cycling, et. al., and your Higher Wisdom, your Intuitive Tribal Nature will reMember these 3-Pivot(al) Points from when you and i were not addicted to shoes and could run and climb and dance barefooted with Mother Earth; Connected and Sacredly Strong and Supple.
*
Let me know what you TAF as your Practice embraces this unique HP Yoga Practice Principle and your FOOT FITNESS comes online!
nakedly dancing within the flow of Lives Remembered...
namaste,
coach ilg
July 14, 2006
All Evil? Flip it!
Dear Coach,
i think i found a Kali Yuga concentrate;
DISNEY WORLD!
love,
Haku
Noble Bro,
;-)
gotta keep it turned within, baby!
As a famous Tibetan teaching says: “When the world is filled with evil, all mishaps should be transformed into the path of enlightenment.”
om so ti,
coach
Oh...and yet ANOTHER WF Warrior qualifies for World Triathlon Champs!
Most Noble WF Warrior Karl MacPhee from Canada
who attended last years' WF Retreat at Red Mountain Spa in Utah with
his wife Jen,
qualified for the World Triathlon Championships (Olympic Distance)!
He wrote to me today:
***
Dearest Coach,
I thought of you and the WF Tribe throughout my race...
Thank you for your coaching, encouragement, sweat and stillness...
Namaste,
Karl
***
and look how Karl has found the Wisdom Of Wholistic Fitness to keep him fresh and recovered instead of training
so sport-specifically like most triathletes...he writes this in his blog:
"I want to thank everyone for the encouraging words and support, and I also want to thank Steve Ilg for encouraging me to challenge events like this without the overtraining that generally occurs in multi-sport athletes. Through your coaching and racing that I read about in DL, I have adopted many of your training philosophies which contributed to my results."
Now,
i ask you all; just how POTENT of a Training Tool is DIRECT LINES and the access to the WF Product Line?
Just how fully do YOU want to live?
Congratulations Karl!
i encourage you all to visit regularly Karl's fantastic blog located at:
www.kmptrainingsolutions.blogspot.com
"The Path works,
when YOU work the Path."
- Coach Ilg
WF & SUNRIDER HERBAL Warrioress Makes It To WORLDS!
If i have said it once, i have said a million times:
"The Path works...
when YOU work the Path!"
Lisa Goldsmith, a SUNRIDER Herbal Warrioress under WF Teacher Haku and Practitioner of WF/HP Yoga just clobbered the best of the best female mountain runners in America up at Vail, Colorado to qualify for a trip to the World Championships in Turkey (which, i think, is somewhere east of Atlanta, maybe even Florida). She dropped Teacher Haku and i this Missive this morning:
Hey, Super-Cats (aka SHiva MUS-cle) and the Venerable but not yet sighted, HAKU …
At the ripe young age of FORTEE1, I have made the Worlds Team for the Mountain Trophy race in TURKEY! (So appropriate, the Turkey part.) There was a selection race in Vail on 7/9, and while expecting a good day as I been ONE with the hills, I didn’t REALLY expect to be finding myself alone in front 20 minutes in to it….ya hooey! And, so anyway, more hills to gobble b’coz the World scene ‘AINT the Americano scene…
Turkey, 9/10/06, or BUST!
Cheers and rah rah,
Vishnudoll!
NOTE:
Lisa will be teaming up with Coach Ilg in February to decimate all Warriors at the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon...unless, perhaps, YOU should up on the Start Line and have a go at us...BRING IT ON! CONGRATS TO LISA!
July 13, 2006
COACH SPEAKS ON CELEBRITIES: NFL PLAYER(s) GETTING THE DL HIGH?
Coach,
Miss you man, I'm doing ok.. Still WF training as able and growing. Missed you in Vancouver by three days.we were there all last weekend checking out the city by urban riding (see above pic).
Read DL every day, thanks for the chi hits!
Not sure if you're an NFL fan. NHL? that's clear. Anyway seems like Ricky gets it. Is he a WF warrior? I found this a super interesting read.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/michael_silver/07/12/ricky/index.html
This picture here is from an NFL player I respect as a humble,dedicated team player and he seems to know how to keeps his hips open. Maybe a few NFL players are on to DL? You coaching Santana and Ricky?
I hope you get back to the NW very soon, I will make a pilgrimage.
Namaste,
Steve Jones
***
COACH RESPONDS:
Most Noble Student Jones,
we missed your CHI up in Vancouver, as well! Next time, baby!
Very rarely will i 'sweat and tell.' Only a few times with my celebrity and star athlete training has it slipped whom i am training, more often than not due to uncontrolled circumstances. To me, celebrities and celebrity athletes are no Higher than any other brave Warrior or Warrioress who comes to my humble Temple for the "Mt. Everest Of Personal Training." Whereas most Personal Trainers or Yoga Teachers will do literally ANYTHING to promote their connection with a given celebrity, i consider such braggart thrusts of media thunder a violation of the very basic Tenets of the Yoga Tradition (the Yamas and NiYamas). Celebrity brandishing is an act of spiritual ignorance. Sure, i could desperately use the exposure my work with celebrities would generate, however i do my best to treat all my Students the same. i do my best to preserve the Student/Teacher Relationship to the best of my capacities.
Sure, many of you would be quite surprised if you knew whom i have shared WF Sacred Sweat with! It is most difficult with book agents and they like; many media execs through the years have essentially turned me down because i refuse to use my celebrity connection. Sad.
Even many of my own WF Warriors do not know that i was one of the first Pilates Teachers on Turtle Island, assisting Stephan Frease at his original Pilates Studio right on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. Stephan had imported the United States first "Pilates Reformers" from Europe and i worked as his Assistant in both Beverly Hills and Boulder, Colorado. Back then, no one even knew how to PRONOUNCE the word, Pilates! Now, there seems to be as many Pilates studios as there are Starbucks! in fact, i Sense a sad, modern day symbiotic relationship between the two franchises! Stephan's ashes remain on my puja table and i remain close to him.
May God Bless and may the Dharma Wealth shower upon the Unknown Masters and the Humble Teachers of teachers who still honor the Student/Teacher Relationship in the face of economic temptations.
that is all.
om so ti
coach ilg
July 12, 2006
Of Chi and Being; 5 SR Arrows For Self Healing
SUNRIDER WARRIORESS S:
Dear El Coache;
The SUNRIDER herbs are beginning to work at yet another, more deeper, Level. Seven years ago i strained/pulled/pushed while doing a solo yoga practice and injured intercostal muscles. I have not had any such occurrence since then in my yoga practices.
COACH:
This type of 'Prevent Offense' within your body will continue to increase in scope as you continue to saturate your cells with the chi from the SUNRIDER Herbs. Phase Two of my 3-Phase approach to using the SUNRIDER Herbs, really targets what is known as "Pranic Constitution"...a phrase that relates to the Life Force Composition within an individual's etheral fields. To keep the Pranic Shift happening, a steadfast diet of Phase 2 SUNRIDER Herbs is required along with a Wholistic Fitness® type of approach to exercise and lifestyle. Specifically, Dr. Chen's latest addition to our 'Herbal Stash', a product known as, "MetaBooster®" is, in my opinion, a most miraculous and potent source of Nutrition that direct feeds our "all-permeating Life Force Current" known in traditional Yoga as, "Vyana-vayu." Those intermediate and beyond Yogis who are able to Sense and Manage their inner Energy Currents (vayus) can rapidly verify my definitation of MetaBooster; for those of us to depend upon Daily Pranayama (Breath Science & Exercises) to empower our Higher Energy Fields, we can immediately and joyfully tell the difference when we start eating the MetaBooster® herbal formula. It is utterly fantastic for developing an inner spaciousness and resiliency.
WARRIORESS S:
To my first question----anything i can utilize from my SR arsenal for the popliteus {Back of Knee} recovery?
COACH:
Of course!
I will offer you Five SR Arrows to put into your Quiver! Be sure to keep them in stock!
First: the incredible SUNBREEZE BALM; it brings the chi (warm or cold) to where it is most needed and in the appropriate manner. magic stuff. i used it daily for nearly 10 years; it was the only way i could get through a day. it speeds the CHI to where Healing is needed most.
Second: JOI/ESE; Dr. Chen says that the latter calms the neural branches, the former rushes in a world class concoction of herbs that nourish micro traumas to joint beds and CT
Third: Wu Chia Pi...the "poor mans" JOI/ESE. nourishes all neural/muscular junctions and physiology.
Fourth: 2 Ilg Supremes per day; super saturation of the body cells on all Five Elemental Levels works...well...WONDERS!
Fifth: Dandelion Root; this herb warms the CT and provides more blood/nutrients into the injured area.
WARRIORESS S:
Thank you
I look forward to continuing my WF practices in regaining my hip real estate and look forward to my next program .............
in love and trust
ss
COACH:
i bow to your Devoted Practice and Engaged Activity to do what is BEST for you which means,
doing the BEST for all humanity...
do the do,
become the Be.
love,
coach ilg
founder/http://www.wholisticfitness.com/
Lead Director/SUNRIDER® Herbs
Inside Catastrophe Lies Much Go(o)d
Coach Ilg,
During my month off training, I started rereading your Wholistic Fitness book from the beginning. I realized that if I start the Green Tara again I might start with a foundational approach. Boy....I'm surprised at how much I missed or just plain forgot. Now I see the road more clearly and the surface of the lessons I just scratched.
The most striking thing was reading about your traumatic accident. My spine felt a shudder the way you explained the accident. I tried to picture your struggle hiking out and how painful that must have been. I'm not writing this to rehash old pain or bring troubling thoughts to you, but more to express the awe I feel of your experience.
Recently I though about my own experience. When I was 18 months old I slipped into a sudden and unexplainable coma, for two weeks. My family was mortified by this experience, and coincidentally set my mother on an Eastern spiritual path. Her experience shaped my life in unimaginable ways.
I gave thought to your and my experiences in a meditation. I realized that sometime God plays a cruel joke with irony. Inside a catastrophe sometimes lies the omen that sends people on their journey. In some ways this changes my perspective in a fantastic way. If I keep a "clean house" I should trust God to send anything my way without question. I guess I'm learning to be open to what irony comes my way.
Once again, my gratitude to your spirit. Whenever I have a tough moment I keep your struggle close to me, and realize.....well this too will pass and make me stronger. Thank you again for everything, you are in my thoughts these days.
warmly,
Angola
July 11, 2006
The Sacred Space of Namaste; An Exchange With Student L
Noble WF Online Student Harry "L" Lewis...a very, very 'ripe' student who is pacing himself on this Steep and Direct Path with a beautiful sense of Challenge and Nurturing. Below is an actual training exchange between himself and i in regard to an important aspect of yoga and meditation...enjoy and may this entry be of benefit to your Practice...
namaste,
coach ilg
***
Most Cherish Shishya L!
oh i am very happy to be hearing from you again!
let's see where our Dance is leading us...i have a couple of Questions for you.
Regarding your prescribed Yoga Practice during your last Program, i prioritized the Solo Practices...i want to hear some direct insight from your time spent within your tight places and your pockets of freedom.
STUDENT L:
As with the other aspects during this cycle I found I could hold a position a little longer, go a little deeper in the stretch. I felt part of the class during the HP Yoga® dvd. The movements where you "introduce us to our hips" were down right "torture" a couple of months ago. Now, I can get closer to the position in order to concentrate on the stretch. I am seeing (feeling) the progress in hip flexibility. The key is to accept the small gains (victories) and not push past the edge. The body will follow the mind but the ego can quickly negate the progress.
COACH:
this is a very, very powerful paragraph from you. perhaps one of your best yet! i wish to isolate this sentence:
"The body will follow the mind but the ego can quickly negate the progress."
it contains much Dharma from such a new Student.
please, elaborate:
STUDENT L:
The edge needs to be pushed by the ego and body being in sync. If the ego goes on the other side and tries to "pull" the edge further out than the body is capable of attaining at that moment, injury may occur.
COACH:
go(o)d...
consider, in your upcoming months of Practice,
a gradual dismantling of the ego entirely until there is no longer any sort of "push" or "pull"...
only a wonderful and ever deepening sense of 'merging into' the edge.
the yogin attempts to blur all edges until he becomes an Edgeless Warrior; able to merge into any posture; be it a physical one or - better yet - metaphysical ones; emotional, mental, spiritual.
Now,
i have a question on your Prescribed Meditation Practices:
How was the Early Morning Zen?
STUDENT L:
What I like best about this time of year is I can do my zen outside with minimal clothing. There is nothing like the quiet
except for the sounds of nature. We have a pond with a small waterfall so the flowing water adds to the tranquility.
COACH:
great, however, how was the Quality of your Mind?
any victories at chaining the Wandering, Chattering Mind?
STUDENT L:
I am at times able to get two breaths in before the wandering starts. It is the feeling during those two breaths that is great.
COACH:
It is that 'feeling' which is the Action of Merging (aka; yoga)
Now, write out for me, the definition (it can be yours or attained from other sources*) of Namaste 3x:
STUDENT L:
My spirit honors your spirit.
My spirit honors your spirit.
My spirit honors your spirit.
COACH:
very nice...thank you.
Here is the WF Temple Definition of Namasté as put forth by myself, many years ago:
"In India,
instead of saying 'hello' or 'goodbye' they say, 'Namasté!'
It means, the Sacred Space that is inside of me
recognizes
and
honors
that same Sacred Space that is inside of you and when you and i communicate
within that Space,
we
are
one."
I'm off to finish up your Program Update right now.
proud of you.
love,
coach
STUDENT L:
Namaste!
July 10, 2006
We Are Back and Fully Loaded with Northwest CHI, baby!
Namaste Noble Warriors!
Ananda and i have returned from the great far North...
we had an absolutely EXQUISITE time...
reuniting with some of my most Cherished and Loved Students, including (L-R) "Fit Kit" Johaneson, a still God-intoxicated me from Teaching, Yolanda, and Chris...just check out how beaming these wonderful Canadian Students are! it is their Aura's alone that speak the Beacon Warrior Light of the Wholistic Fitness® Path! Aren't they just GORGEOUS?! We had a GREAT time at our HP Yoga Master Class, yet that was only the beginning...
i was gathering new sports and deep insights nearly every breath of the Way as our trip took us over to Vancouver Island whereupon many miracles jumped and danced within my Awareness of this astonishingly beautiful land...and sea!
over the next few DL's i'll turn you all onto some incredible pictures of our trip and i will also offer ONLY TO DL SUBSCRIBERS my sure-fire "Airport Pranayama" Routine that i have used for years to keep the germs and viruses of international air travel - or any air travel for that matter - well away from your internal environment.
So, please, feel grateful you are in the Sacred Circle of DL...
because,
well,
those who are not, will consistently miss out on some "deerly" important inspiration and Practice techniques...it's allWays so much easier to just "chew the flowers" that are chronically spewed forth from of mainstream fitness magazines, books, and internet medias...
meanwhile,
to access the REAL INNER GEMS requires a WEED-LIKE TENACITY and MULTI-DISCIPLINED YOGA...
if you eat only the flowers,
the roots weaken
regeneration
turns into; deterioration.
strength, cardio, yoga, meditation, nutrition, and Lifestyle Principles...
WHOLISTIC FITNESS; Because Humans are Versatile; So Too Should Be Your Practice!
Thank you for choosing to be Here Now, and enjoy the next few days of DL...May my new experiences empower your Practice and intensify your willingness to Do the Do of living a full and cherished Life...
om so ti
coach ilg
Something Complete and Great
"That is Happiness:
to be dissolved into something complete and great."
- Willa Cather
I recall growing up in Durango, Colorado.
I was surrounded by animals; both domesticated (and often horribly spoiled) ones and wild ones.
For long i lay beside my cat or dogs
my young fingers ever willing to explore the warmth and loving radiance of my Animal Companions...
dissolving "into something complete and great."
In mountain meadows i napped beside my Wolf,
feeling as though he and i were the Warrior Kings of our own Shangri-La...
we were...
Nourished by Life
Living with Sacred Happiness
vowing never to lose it...
only Heighten It.
My Practice of WF has and continues to only Empower that Sacred Happiness
which pivots upon the only quality that matters to an aspirant of Self;
Rising Higher.
Don't give up the Sweat.
Don't refuse the Silence.
namaste,
coach ilg
photo: this is Jasper, one of our two Temple Cat Beings...as you can see, fortunately, Jasper is FAR from being spoiled!
July 06, 2006
Tinsel Moon
"If you go expressly to look at the moon,
it becomes tinsel."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
photo by Coach Ilg from the top of "Two Tree Manor"...aka; The WF Temple H(om)e
July 05, 2006
WF Starlett Timari CRANKS to yet ANOTHER Title!
Timari, one of the smart cyclists that took up WF, HP Yoga® and SUNRIDER® herbs when i lived and taught in LA, has been cranking off National Championships ever since! She is a fine Student and a favorite of DL readers everywhere for good reason; this babe CRANKS THE CHI!!!!! She submitted the following story for DL...enjoy!
2 For 2...for the Season
by Timari Pruis
for DL
A couple of weeks ago, I set out driving (with my mom---my trusty pit crew) down to Southern California for the 12 hours of Temecula (I was originally supposed to go to Colorado for 24 hours of Steamboat---but things fell through last minute). I was pretty excited about the race since I hadn't raced since April, I was just hoping the weather wasn't too hot. We arrived at the race venue (the same venue as 24 Hours of Temecula), in which is was slightly overcast---but unfortunately that didn't last long. Upon arriving, I was surprised to see my former teammate Terri, and she had decided to do the race last minute as well. So, the race would be a little friendly competition between friends. We spent some time before the race catching up since the atmosphere of the race was pretty kick back. The start of the event neared, we got ourselves ready, and lined up for the start of the race. What I especially liked about this race was that there was NO Le Mans run to your bike to start the race! We just got to start out on our bikes, it was a nice change of pace. Soon as we knew it, we were off and riding, and I soon started to recall all the bits and pieces of the course from when I had done the 24 Hours of Temecula about 3 years ago, and when we started up the big long climb, I REALLY started to remember the course! Terri had started out ahead of me, but I soon caught up to her and passed her about midway through the climb (at this point I began to finally feel like all my altitude training on the climbs up near Tahoe were paying off!). I knew I had to keep pushing it because she tends to be faster at descending than me. However, after having visited Matt at IE Bikes the day before, and having him dial in my bike (thank you, thank you, thank you!), I was FLYING on the downhills! It was truly an awesome feeling.
I finished the first lap in 1st place, grabbed a new water bottle on my way through the pit area, and kept riding. Things continued to go smoothly the next few laps, with the routine being the same, grab a water bottle/fresh hydration pack and some food, and go. At the end of the 3rd lap, I only had about 5-10 minutes up on Terri, she was hot on my tail. So, it was straight back out for lap 4. Toward the end of lap 4 my mom was there with camera in hand (all for a picture of which she managed to chop off my head----let's just say she still struggles with this whole digital camera thing!), and she told me that Terri had crashed pretty hard, and was out. I was pretty bummed to hear this b/c I didn’t want to even think that Terri was hurt, and I really wanted to do this race for the training aspect. At this point, the race was mine, and I had won. It was a great feeling of course, because winning always is, but I felt bad for Terri, and wanted to know that she was OK. I continued on till the end of the race, ended up doing a total of 7 laps, and got to add another notch for a win onto my belt for the season. Now I am 2 for 2 this season! Next up is the 24 Hour Solo National Championship in Wisconsin. So, I had a blast, and I loved the down home feeling of this event. The promoter was a great guy, and he did an awesome job!
As always, I have to thank the gang load of people who make it possible for me to do this. Thanks to mom for pit crewing (and thanks to "King Dan" for taking over for her half way through the race). Thank you to Jim at Kenda for the tires (as always), Chris and the gang at Titus for such an awesome ride, Jude at Magura, Max at FSA, Kenny at DT Swiss, Chico at Dakine, Matt at IE Bikes, Hammer Nutrition, Fox, Coach Ilg at Wholistic Fitness, Gale at Sport Legs, and Michael at Zeal Optics.
July 03, 2006
Coach and Ananda Off To Teach in Vancouver!
You ask why I live in the mountains
and forests...
and i smile and am silent,
And even my soul remains quiet:
It lives in the other world
Which no one owns.
The peach trees blossom.
The water flows.
- Li Po
***
The Temple will be closed until July 11th.
I will be attempting to maintain DL Subscriber Format plus of course, my Online Coaching with Active Students...however,
email/internet connections will be sketchy until my return.
So:
eat your Herbs,
do your Practices,
enjoy the Tour de France,
sweat each day,
sit still each day,
and
know how much you are Loved
fiercely sometimes,
yet allWays
in the Highest of Ways,
by
me.
om so ti,
coach ilg
creator/Wholistic Fitness
ps; wish us luck at our HP Yoga® Master Class up with my beautiful and noble Vancouver Sangha!
photos:
#1; my old backyard of Telluride, Colorado. i have ice climbed most of the waterfalls in this picture by my Flagstaff mountain biking training parter, Bob "Sensei of the Singletrack" Verderame.
#2: my current day backyard; this is during my favorite hillclimb; Waterline/Abineau; a 17-mile, 4,000' climb to 10,400' which starts, literally, out of my front door.
#3: a DL reader wrote in saying i look like a "young Robert Redford," here...hey! i'll take it! must be the SUNRIDER herbs, since i'm looking young at 44! thanks!!!
#4: Ananda back h(om)e in Floridian oceanic waters while visiting her Daddy for his birthday.
July 02, 2006
TEMPLE GONG; Mula Bandha Teachings Upcoming
Coach Ilg in a variation of Maha Mudra; the inner springboard into paranormal powers (for sport performance, fitness, and meditation), Kundalini Awakening, and eventual Enlightenment. "I first taught you how to do a Barbell Curl more elegantly and more consciously, now, the years ahead i will teach you how to safely attain far greater levels of fitness; Inner Fitness that will make your body, mind, and spirit more elegant and conscious."
***
Most Noble DL Warriors-
beginning shortly in and ONLY in this DIRECT LINES; Subscription Format,
i will be imparting Ancient and Secret Teachings of the Maha Mudra (The Great Seal).
requirements for optimal transmission of Teaching:
- Daily Reading of DL (that should be considered a part of your Svadhyaya (spiritual self studies) by now
- Daily Early Morning Ritual® - consisting of Toilet Yoga®, Neti (nasal washing), and At-Sink Pranayama®
- Willingness to Rise Above lazy tendencies, lethargic patterns, and inconsistent Practice.
- A WF Practice seasoned by at least one year of Abhyasa (steadfast practice).
- Inner Vow to use the Attainment of extremely high levels of energy, insight, and Awakening only for the go(o)d of all Beings.
methodology:
i will periodically place essays on Maha Mudra in DL at intervals spaced so that contemplation and Practice of the material can be accomplished at your own pace. i will start first with philosophy then move into actual Practices and programs.
summary:
i will soon begin a series of DL Entries on The Great Seal; Maha Mudra.
Training of and Attainment of Maha Mudhra shifts the individuals reliance on the gross physical body into and onto the Pranic Body; a vastly superior energetic structure that accounts for paranormal levels of energy, insight, and most importantly; it sets the Inner Stage for the Awakening of Kundalini and eventual Enlightenment.
that is all,
coach ilg